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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Gis-Based Route Risk Assessment Of Hazardous Material Transport, Myungwoo Lee Dec 2014

Gis-Based Route Risk Assessment Of Hazardous Material Transport, Myungwoo Lee

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transportation of hazardous materials keeps increasing across the United States due to the growing consumption of goods and rising need for manufactured materials. Furthermore, concerns are mounting over the safe surface transportation of hazardous materials. Highways and rails are the most common modes of transport for hazardous materials, although the risk posed from highway transport of hazardous materials may be higher due to the fact that highways are public while rails are mostly private. The majority of hazardous material cargo is carried on the highway network by trucks. Due to possible adverse effects on human and animal populations in …


A New Decision Making Approach For Indirect Left Turn Treatments By Utilizing Decision Assistance Curves, Sunil Gyawali Oct 2014

A New Decision Making Approach For Indirect Left Turn Treatments By Utilizing Decision Assistance Curves, Sunil Gyawali

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study developed decision assistance curves (DAC) for unconventional intersections, including median U-turns (MUT), continuous flow intersections (CFI), and jughandle intersections, based on their operational performance relative to a conventional intersection. An economic analysis was performed to compute the net present value (NPV) of benefits and the benefit to cost ratio (B/C) with the development of a spreadsheet tool. The DAC classified the region of optimal performance of isolated unconventional intersections. For 5% left turn traffic conditions, MUT was warranted for all volume criteria. For 10% and 15% left turn traffic conditions, jughandle was warranted for the major street approach …


Turbulent Circular Culvert Flow: Implications To Fish Passage Design, Amin Mohebbi Aug 2014

Turbulent Circular Culvert Flow: Implications To Fish Passage Design, Amin Mohebbi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Culverts are popular conveyance structures in America and Canada to be used as a fish passage or in sewage collection and disposal systems. Fish passage design criteria is based on biological capabilities of fish whereas it should satisfy hydraulic and hydrological constraints as well. Failing to provide enough low velocity regions for aquatic organisms may result in their mass extinctions. Currently, proper road crossing design depends on either model studies or numerical simulations via Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) packages, both of which are expensive and time consuming. Further, although the design procedures released by FHWA recently ensures safe fish migration …


Development Of A Mash Tl-3 Transition Between Guardrail And Portable Concrete Barriers, David A. Gutierrez Apr 2014

Development Of A Mash Tl-3 Transition Between Guardrail And Portable Concrete Barriers, David A. Gutierrez

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Often, road construction causes the need to create a work zone. In these scenarios, portable concrete barriers (PCBs) are typically installed to shield workers and equipment from errant vehicles as well as prevent motorists from striking other roadside hazards. For an existing W-beam guardrail system installed adjacent to the roadway and near the work zone, guardrail sections are removed in order to place the portable concrete barrier system. The focus of this research study was to develop a proper stiffness transition between W-beam guardrail and portable concrete barrier systems. This research effort was accomplished through development and refinement of design …